Stackable display container

ABSTRACT

A foldable container is formed from a single blank ( 12 ) of sheet material which has stacking shoulders ( 32, 34 ), reinforced corners ( 24, 26, 28, 30 ), side panels ( 16, 18 ) and display panels ( 20, 22 ). The container includes a bottom section ( 14 ) delimited by pairs of upright end panels and side panels ( 16, 18 ). Two of the side panels ( 16, 18 ) are foldably connected to peripheral segments of the bottom section, pre-glued ( 78 ) and cooperate with the latter to form an open top product-accommodating compartment. The top edges of each of the side panels include shoulders ( 32, 34 ) for supporting a container stacked thereon and positioning tabs ( 36, 38 ) that extend upwardly and fit into corresponding openings ( 40, 42 ) in the bottom ( 14 ) of the upper container. The lateral edge of each end panel and adjacent side panel has foldably connected thereto a corner-reinforcing member and create shopping accessibility from the front of the container. The reinforcing member includes a first section ( 50 ) connected to the end panel edge and being secured in partially overlying relation with the interior surface of the adjacent side panel. The reinforcing member also includes a second section ( 52 ) connected to the first section and secured thereto in at least a partial foldback overlying relation with the first section. A third section ( 58 ) is connected to the second section and is secured in partially overlying relation to the interior surface of the end panel. This configuration can be mirrored on the back panel providing two-sided shopability and is adaptable for three or four sided shopability.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed toward a stackable display containerand, more particularly, to such a container formed from an integral flatpiece of sheet material such as corrugated paperboard and which can bepre-glued and shipped knocked down flat, prior to assembly. Assembly,when desired, can then be accomplished without the use of glue or otheradhesive. The invention can also be easily adapted for use on a varietyof automatic and semi-automatic set up machines and case erectors whilestill maintaining the spirit of the invention.

BACKGROUND ART

Traditionally, products have been shipped in bulk from a manufacturer toa retailer in a variety of packaging display vehicles. The packagedisplay vehicles need to be attractive, stand up to the rigors ofshipment, requiring minimal handling at the retail level and easy accessto product. They also need to be cost effective.

The retail environment has changed drastically over the past few years.Retailers no longer want to cut cases for display or unpack goods on toshelves. Excess protective packaging such as increase board test, usingdouble wall versus single wall, dividers, corner boards, slip sheets,layer pads or trays between layers of packages, add additional material,labor and freight costs to the manufacturer, retailer and the consumer.These cost variables can frequently be overlooked but can add tosignificant excess costs. The constant competitive pressure to drivecosts down on the manufacturing and retail sides, while, at a minimum,maintaining profitability present challenges which the inventionaddresses.

Retailers demand packaging that facilitates high sales turnover withinthe allocated space in the shortest amount of time. They demand that theproducts be ready to shop once the pallet hits the retail floor and anyperimeter protective packaging is removed. The next time they want totouch the packaging display vehicle is to recycle it.

These performance demands by retailers, reeked havoc on manufacturerswho were tooled up with high speed, automatic packing equipment. Theirproduction facilities were geared towards cases packing in standardshipping containers. Production floor space was utilized to its maximum.Along comes these new performance requirements, which necessitatemodifying existing plant flow, acquiring new assembly space and labor oroutsourcing the new packaging assembly requirements. Labor rates of manymanufacturers are significantly higher than out-source assemblyfacilities. There is increased potential for incorrectly assembledpackages in all locations due to the complex and diverse designschallenging these facilities.

To compound matters, many of the large retailers and warehouse clubs,are requiring special promotions, graphics, packages, sizes, counts etc.which make long production runs less feasible. Add to this, a constantpressure to reduce the costs to these retailers. Life cycles of aproduct package size, structure, quantity, graphics, merchandising, etc.become shorter, reducing the feasibility for long term packagingmachinery expenditures. Companies now are forced to manufacture andmarket differently than ever before. They are further pressured byshareholders and banks to show incremental profit.

Many retailers are also merchandising bulk sales, which tend to weighmore than traditional products sold to local supermarkets. This presentscertain problems that must be overcome avoiding a deleterious effect onthe product that, in turn, might impair its marketability. Because ofthe weight and current designs of the superimposed stacked arrangementof packaging display vehicles, certain of the packages are subjected tosubstantial compressive forces. These may collapse or severely distortthe lower packaging display vehicles sometimes nesting inside thecontainer it was supposed to be superimposed and stacked on, resultingin sidewall deflection, tearing of adjoining interlocking legs anddisplay panels, accidental exposure of product and in some cases, palletloads collapsing. Other designs use display trays with smallerfootprints and a smaller number of products per display in order tominimize twisting, torque and other disfigurement resulting fromexcessive stress when extra products are added. This results in anincreased unit cost per package as the cost of the display and assemblyis prorated over fewer pieces.

In normal warehousing or storage operations the stacked containers arepalletized thereby enabling the entire stack to be readily moved aboutby lift trucks. Where, however, the lower containers of the stack arecollapsed or severely distorted, the stability of the stack is seriouslyimpaired thereby causing a serious hazard to personnel operating withinthe facility. Packaging used in high humidity environments placesadditional strength demands on the package.

Furthermore, in the packaging of certain products having substantialweight, difficulty is oftentimes encountered in properly stacking andpalletizing the package display vehicle either because of bulging ordistortion of the side or end walls thereof due to the weight of theproduct itself. Thus, the cost, time and effort required to package theproduct are significantly increased.

In order to attain the necessary strength and rigidity, of the packagingdisplay vehicles used for such packaging, it has heretofore beennecessary, in many instances, for them to be formed of heavy gaugecostly material and/or to utilize special reinforcing inserts to bepositioned within the packaging display vehicle. Numerous multiple 90and 180 degree folds are required to lock reinforcement features inplace adding additional labor costs, production displays and additionalopportunities for repetitive stress injuries to occur. Oftentimes withproducts such as produce, frozen goods and meats, it has been necessaryfor certain portions of the container structures to be performed by themanufacturer and shipped and/or stored in such condition prior to beingloaded with the product. In this latter situation storage of the emptypreformed containers required an inordinate amount of space.Furthermore, because of certain design characteristics, numerous priorcontainers were not capable of accommodating a variety of products.

Many items can be easily damaged due to rough handling and inadequateprotection, once the products appear on the retail floor. Most presentefforts seem to focus on getting the product safely from their plant, tothe retailers' distribution center and ultimately to the retail floor.In some cases, minimal effort seems to be placed on designing a packagethat will withstand the rigors of how it is actually shopped on theretail floor. When the front display panels bulge and tear, the productfalls on the retail floor. Retailers must pay employees to individuallyreposition each product item on display in a manner that is bothappealing to the customer and safe for the product. Some product becomesdamaged goods, which result in preventable retailer aggravation, whosecosts are deducted from invoices. Sometimes extra handling penalties forreturned goods are charged as well. Other displays are re-taped, whichmay resolve the tearing and bulging issues but look terrible. This isespecially evident on packages with high quality graphics, designed topromote brand quality and attract customers.

Conversely, other packaging display vehicles seem over packaged usingheavier grades of corrugated single and double wall. This negativelyimpacts costs and can sometimes make it difficult to break down theempty packages for recycling. This adds to the retailers' costs andaggravation.

Many existing packaging display vehicles also require a shipping cover.This adds additional material packaging costs and labor to affix, removeand recycle the cover. Furthermore, some of these covers incur the extracost burden of high quality graphics just to get their product frompoint a to point b safely.

Other existing packaging display vehicles utilize various forms of traysbetween each layer which are necessary reinforcement for bottoms whichtend to sag as well as tie in the unit so the load is more stable. Thesetrays are large, require labor to assemble or be machine glued and tendto block graphics and access to product within the primary packagingdisplay vehicles below the tray. They are cumbersome to remove andrecycle at the retail level as well. These trays are typically printedwith graphics related to the primary package, which result in expensiveprint plates and cutting die costs being incurred.

Lead times are continuing to shrink. Many of the corrugated displayvehicles are cumbersome and complicated to assemble. They also can takeup considerable warehouse space due to their large pre-assembledfootprints.

Containers have been proposed in the past to address some of the aboveproblems. Such proposals are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,413,276; 5,524,815; 5,826,728 and 5,839,650. None of these prior artcontainers, however, provides an adequate solution.

There is, therefore, a need in the art for a container with improvedstrength characteristics to withstand the collapsing or lateraldeflection of vertical container walls which may result when forces areapplied to such containers.

The is further a need for a container that is optimally adapted forpallet-type marketing, namely retail sale of products displayed in bulkin the containers in which they are shipped in bulk.

There is also a need for a container which resists inadvertent,horizontal displacement out of stacked relationship.

There is a further need for a container which is easy to manipulate andeasy to assemble.

There is also a need for the container to have sufficient lateralrigidity to avoid collapse.

Advantageously, these objects and aspects should be achieved in a cartonthat is foldably erected from a one piece blank that is compactlyarranged such that the carton blanks can be die cut from stock withminimal waste, can be pre-glued where necessary and still shippedsubstantially flat for later erection.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of theprior art discussed above. It is an object of this invention to providea foldable, joined or unjoined, inexpensive, yet sturdy, packagingdisplay vehicle which is not beset with the aforenoted shortcomingsassociated with prior containers of this general type.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an optionalpre-glued, foldable container which is formed from a single blank ofinexpensive foldable sheet material having a simple configuration andcapable of being produced by automatic high speed die cutting and gluingequipment.

It is still a further object to provide a foldable container which hasan inordinately high top to bottom strength without requiring heavygauge, expensive, high strength material and/or the utilization ofcorner inserts or the like.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide broad sidewallshoulders to support subsequent containers stacked above it, minimizingsag and the possibility of the container superimposed above it, nestinginside the container below it.

It is still a further object for tab and corresponding indexing slotlocations to further improve container positioning, as additionalcontainers are stacked on top of each other, the improved stabilitygained by these features improving product presentation and reducingproduct damage and extra handling at the retail level.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a container,which provides graphic opportunities on the inside of the box, whileprinting the outside of the box in the same printing operation.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide options for oneto four sided shopability.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide the opportunityto eliminate the use of trays between existing layers of product andstill maintain the structural rigidity of the container.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an open-top andpartially opened front panel (and optional back panel) which providesexcellent product accessibility while simultaneously reducing in storehandling and damaged goods.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a containerwhich, prior to use, may be stored or shipped in a completely unfoldedor partially folded but collapsed condition.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiments, demonstrating featuresand advantages of the present invention, there is provided a foldablecontainer formed from a single blank of sheet material which hasreinforced corners and display panels. The container includes a bottomsection delimited by pairs of upright end panels and side panels. Two ofthe side panels are foldably connected to peripheral segments of thebottom section, pre-glued and cooperate with the latter to form an opentop product-accommodating compartment. The top edges of each of the sidepanels include shoulders for supporting a container stacked thereon andpositioning tabs that extend upwardly and fit into correspondingopenings in the bottom of the upper container. The lateral edge of eachend panel and adjacent side panel has foldably connected thereto acorner-reinforcing member and create shopping accessibility from thefront of the container. The reinforcing member includes a first sectionconnected to the end panel edge and being secured in partially overlyingrelation with the interior surface of the adjacent side panel. Thereinforcing member also includes a second section connected to the firstsection and secured thereto in at least a partial foldback overlyingrelation with the first section. A third section is connected to thesecond section and is secured in partially overlying relation to theinterior surface of the end panel. This configuration can be mirrored onthe back panel providing two-sided shopability.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in theaccompanying drawings one form which is presently preferred; it beingunderstood that the invention is not intended to be limited to theprecise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a die-cut blank used in forming thecontainer of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the blank shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is top perspective view of the blank shown in FIG. 1 withportions thereof folded over and glued;

FIG. 4 is perspective view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the end wallsfolded to extend upwardly which is one of the first steps in erectingthe container;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the top of one of the endwalls showing a first step in forming a shoulder thereon;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the final step in forming theshoulder;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4 showing a portion of theends being folded inwardly to form a part of the corner columns and apart of the front and rear partial walls;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 7 showing further foldingsteps to further form the front and rear partial walls;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 8 but with portions brokenaway for clarity and showing the next steps in forming the front andrear partial walls;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 9 showing the final stepsin forming the front and rear partial walls;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a fully assembled container;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of two containers and showing the mannerin which they can be stacked one on top of the other, and

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing two stacked containers.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numeralshave been used throughout the various figures to designate likeelements, there is shown in FIG. 11 a stackable display containerconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present inventionand designated generally as 10. The container 10 is preferableconstructed from a single sheet of corrugated cardboard or similarmaterial which is cut and scored to form the single blank 12 shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows the top or upper surface of the blank 12while FIG. 2 show the bottom or lower surface.

Container 10 as shown best in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 includes asubstantially horizontal bottom wall 14 having a left edge, a rightedge, a front edge and a rear edge. The container also includes, leftand right side walls 16 and 18 that extend substantially verticallyupwardly from the left and side edges and partial front and rear walls20 and 22 that extend substantially vertically upwardly from the frontand rear edges, respectively. The side walls 16 and 18 are joined to thepartial front and rear walls 20 and 22 through corner posts or columns24, 26, 28 and 30.

Each of the side walls 16 and 18 includes a substantially horizontallyoriented shoulder 32 and 34 at the top thereof. As shown best in FIGS.12 and 13, this allows containers of similar construction to be stacked,one or top of the other. FIGS. 12 and 13, for example, show container 10being stacked on top of a similarly constructed container 10′.

In order to properly align one container on top of the other and preventmovement thereof, positioning tabs 36 and 38 extend vertically upwardlyfrom the tops of the side walls 16 and 18, respectively. The positioningtabs 36 and 38 are adapted to be received in slotted openings 40 (SeeFIG. 12) and 42 formed in the bottom wall 14 of the container stacked ontop thereof. That is, since all of the containers are constructed inessentially the same manner, each includes the pair of positioning tabsand each includes the slotted openings in the bottom wall that cooperatewith the positioning tabs as best shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. For ease ofcarrying and maneuvering the container 10, conventional handles 44 and46 are formed in the upper portions of the side walls 16 and 18.

Although the container 10 shown in all of the figures has a partialfront and a partial rear wall, it should be understood that this is byway of example only. Having the partial front and rear walls leavesexposed openings at the front and rear thereof even when the containersare stacked on top of each other as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. As aresult, the containers can be used for merchandising goods containedtherein from both the front and the back. This is, however, by way ofexample only. It should be readily understood that the majority of thefeatures of the present invention could also be utilized with acontainer having a full back wall and wherein only the front has apartial wall. In addition, all four walls could be similarly constructedto be partial walls whereby goods could be merchandised from all foursides. Even further, and as will become clearly hereinafter, some of theinventive features of the invention could be utilized with full frontand back walls.

The details of the manner in which the blank 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2is manipulated and folded to form the container 10 will be described indetail below. However, before doing so, it should be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art that the container 10 of the present invention,in the preferred embodiment shown, is symmetrical both left to right andfront to back. That is, the left wall 16 including the corners 26 and 28and the shoulder and positioning tab 36 and slotted opening 40 areidentical to the right side wall 18 with its corners 24 and 30 andshoulder 34, positioning tab 38 and slot 42. Similarly, the partialfront wall 20 is identical to the partial rear wall 22. Thus, in thefollowing description, while only one portion of the container 10 willbe described in detail, it should be understood that the othercorresponding portions of the container are constructed in the identicalmanner and that the description applies equally thereto. For example,while only one corner post may be described in detail, it will bereadily understood that the description thereof applies equally to eachof the other three corners. Similarly, while only the partial front wall20 may be described in detail and only one of the side walls, thepartial rear wall 22 and the other side wall is constructed in theidentical manner as the one described.

As pointed out above, the container 10 is formed from a single piece ofcorrugated cardboard or similar material which is die-cut and formedinto a blank 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The blanks 12 could beshipped to the product manufacturer who will fold the same to form thecontainer 10 before putting packaged goods therein. Preferably, however,a limited number of folding and gluing steps are performed by the cartonmanufacturer before shipment. This can be done on high speed automaticfolding and gluing machines after the blanks 12 are formed.

FIG. 3 illustrates the folded and glued preform after the automaticfolding and gluing steps and prior to shipment. More particularly, themultiple panels 50 and 52 that form the corner posts such as corner post24 are folded over each other about the fold line 54 to form a cornercomprised of two layers of sheet material. (See FIG. 1.) The fold line54, however, extends from the top of the corner, i.e. the right side asshown in FIG. 1, approximately three-quarters of the way down the cornerand is then cut to form a foot 56. Thus, when the panel 52 is foldedover to overlay the panel 50, the foot 56 remains extending outwardtherefrom as shown in FIG. 3. When the panel 52 is folded over so as tooverlie panel 50, the smaller panel 58 at the free end of the cornerpanels overlies the edge of the inner surface of the side wall 18 and isglued thereto to form a side corner wall 53 as shown in FIG. 3 and themain portion of panel 52 overlying panel 50 forms a front corner wall55. As pointed out above, each of the other corners is formed in theidentical manner.

The shoulder forming panels and positioning tabs described above arepre-cut and formed at the uppermost part of the panel forming the sidewalls such as side wall 18 as shown in FIG. 1. The shoulder andpositioning tab forming panels include fold lines such as shown at 60,62, 64, 66 and 68 and die-cut sections such as shown at 70, 72, 74 and76. At the factory, the top end of the panel forming the side wall 18 isfolded over along fold line 68 and the inner surface 78 of the panel isglued to the inner surface of the side wall 18 as shown in FIG. 3.

The formed panel shown in FIG. 3 is, therefore, ready for assembly intoa container 10. Although certain folding and gluing steps have beenperformed, the pre-form shown in FIG. 3 still lies perfectly flat and,therefore, can be easily shipped for later assembly.

FIGS. 4–10 illustrate the sequential steps performed to erect thecontainer 10. First, the two end walls 16 and 18 with the cornersattached thereto are folded upwardly around the transverse fold lines 80and 82 until they are substantially vertical as shown in FIG. 4.Thereafter, the corners are folded inwardly as shown in FIG. 7 so as tobe perpendicular to the end or side wall 16 and 18. As can best be seenin FIG. 7, the corner column that is parallel and forms part of thefront wall is two-ply with each ply extending entirely from the very topof the corner to the very bottom thereof with the lower portion of thepanel 52 forming the inner ply extending all the way to the bottom wall14. Each corner also includes the foot 56 which, as will be seen, formspart of the front (or rear) wall 20.

Referring now to FIG. 8, after the corners are folded in, the threepanels 84, 86 and 88 are folded about the fold line 90 into a verticaldirection so that the ends of the panel 88 which forms the partial frontwall 20 lie against the forward face of the corners. The panels 84 and86 are then folded inwardly over the feet 56. It should be noted thatnotches 92 are formed at the ends of the junction between panels 86 and88 and angled fold or score lines 94 are formed which allow the ends ofthe panels 84 and 86 to flex upwardly as the panels 84 and 86 are movedinwardly toward the center of the container 10. This allows the ends ofthe panels 84 and 86 to more easily pass around the front corner walls55 so as to be positioned therebehind.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 9, once the panel portions 84 and 86 arefolded into the interior of the container, panels 84 and 86 are forcedinto right angles with respect to each other about fold line 98 as shownin FIG. 10. In this position, panel portion 88 forms the outer part ofthe partial front wall 20 while panel portion 86 forms the inner surfaceof the partial front wall 20 and panel portion 84 lies on the lower wall14. The panel portions 84, 86 and 88 are held in place by forcing theprojections 100 secured to the panel portion 86 at the junction betweenpanels 84 and 86 into slotted openings 102 in the bottom wall 14.Similarly, tabs 104 at the ends of the panel portion 86 are forced intoplace into the slots 106 formed in the corners. It can be seen,therefore, the extreme edges of the front wall portion 20 adjacent thecorners are comprised of five plies of material all of which extend tothe bottom wall 14. Furthermore, as one moves inwardly from the corner,the front wall 20 is comprised of four plies of material including thefoot 56.

After the side wall 16 and 18 are erected and the front and rear wall 20and 22 are formed, the shoulders and positioning tabs are formed asshown most clearly in FIGS. 5 and 6. This is accomplished by foldingpanel portion 108 inwardly about fold line 110. Simultaneously, panelportion 112 begins to fold inwardly about fold line 114 and the panelportions 112 and 116 form the shoulder 34. Once the shoulder 34 isformed, the tabs 116 and 118 at the ends thereof are pushed downwardlyas shown in FIG. 6 to prevent the shoulder from flexing upwardly and tomaintain the same in its horizontal orientation. As should be readilyapparent, the positioning tabs 38, however, remain extending upwardly asthe two layers or thickness of material forming the tabs are gluedtogether. And since the tabs 38 are formed by folding about the foldline 68, the top horizontal fold line forming the distal end of the tab(and the uppermost top of the container) lies slightly inwardly of theouter plane of the side wall. This aids in guiding the tabs into theslots in the bottom wall of the container stacked thereon.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof andaccordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims rather thanto the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

1. A stackable display container constructed of a single piece of sheetmaterial folded to form said container comprising: a substantiallyhorizontal bottom wall having a left edge, a right edge, a front edgeand a rear edge; at least partial left and right side walls extendingsubstantially vertically upwardly from said left and right side edges,respectively; at least partial front and back walls extendingsubstantially vertically upwardly from said front and rear edges,respectively, said front wall including an outer front wall segment andan inner front wall segment substantially coextensive therewith; leftand right front corner columns, each corner column being formed of asegment of said sheet material folded to form a foot, a side corner walland a front corner wall, each side corner wall coinciding essentiallywith its respective container side wall and the front corner walls lyingin essentially the same plane as said front wall, each of said cornerwalls extending to said bottom wall; said inner and outer front wallsegments being joined together along a substantially horizontallyextending fold line with said fold line lying over the tops of saidfeet, said inner and outer front wall segments extending substantiallyto the left and right side walls, said outer front wall segment coveringthe front surface of the lower portion of said front corner walls andsaid inner front wall segment substantially covering the inner surfaceof the lower portion of said front corner walls; said inner wall segmentincludes score lines that facilitate the flexing of the ends of saidinner wall segment to allow them to pass around said front corner wallsas said container is being assembled and said inner front wall segmentincluding a flap extending perpendicularly therefrom which lies on saidbottom wall, said flap including score lines that are continuations ofsaid score lines formed in said inner front wall segment.
 2. A stackabledisplay container constructed of a single piece of sheet material foldedto form said container comprising: a substantially horizontal bottomwall having a left edge, a right edge, a front edge and a rear edge; atleast partial left and right side walls extending substantiallyvertically upwardly from said left and right side edges, respectively,each of said side walls including a substantially horizontally extendingshoulder at the top thereof for supporting the bottom of a similarlyconstructed container stacked thereon, each shoulder being formed froman additional portion of said sheet material extending from the top ofeach side wall and folded inwardly and then downwardly, said side wallsfurther including upwardly extending positioning tabs formed from saidadditional portion of said sheet material extending from the top of eachside walls; at least partial front and back walls extendingsubstantially vertically upwardly from said front and rear edges,respectively; left and right front corner columns, each corner columnbeing formed of a segment of said sheet material folded to form a sidecorner wall and a front corner wall, each side corner wall coincidingessentially with its respective container side wall and the front cornerwalls lying in essentially the same plane as said front wall, each ofsaid corner walls extending to said bottom wall.
 3. The stackabledisplay container as claimed in claim 2 wherein said positioning tabsare comprised of a double thickness of said sheet material folded overitself along a substantially horizontal fold line.
 4. A stackabledisplay container constructed of a single piece of sheet material foldedto form said container comprising: a substantially horizontal bottomwall having a left edge, a right edge, a front edge and a rear edge; atleast partial left and right side walls extending substantiallyvertically upwardly from said left and right side edges, respectively,each of said side walls including a substantially horizontally extendingshoulder at the top thereof for supporting the bottom of a similarlyconstructed container stacked thereon and wherein the distal edge ofsaid additional portion of said sheet material is glued to the innersurface of its respective side wall at a position above said bottomwall; at least partial front and back walls extending substantiallyvertically upwardly from said front and rear edges, respectively; leftand right front corner columns, each corner column being formed of asegment of said sheet material folded to form a side corner wall and afront corner wall, each side corner wall coinciding essentially with itsrespective container side wall and the front corner walls lying inessentially the same plane as said front wall, each of said corner wallsextending to said bottom wall.
 5. A stackable display containerconstructed of a single piece of sheet material folded to form saidcontainer comprising: a substantially horizontal bottom wall having aleft edge, a right edge, a front edge and a rear edge; at least partialleft and right side walls extending substantially vertically upwardlyfrom said left and right side edges, respectively, each of said sidewalls including a substantially horizontally extending shoulder at thetop thereof for supporting the bottom of a similarly constructedcontainer stacked thereon, each of said side walls further including apositioning tab extending upwardly therefrom to cooperate with thebottom of said similarly constructed container positioned thereon, saidpositioning tabs being formed from an additional portion of said sheetmaterial extending from the top of each side wall; at least partialfront and back walls extending substantially vertically upwardly fromsaid front and rear edges, respectively; left and right front cornercolumns, each corner column being formed of a segment of said sheetmaterial folded to form a side corner wall and a front corner wall, eachside corner wall coinciding essentially with its respective containerside wall and the front corner walls lying in essentially the same planeas said front wall, each of said corner walls extending to said bottomwall.
 6. A stackable display container constructed of a single piece ofsheet material folded to form said container comprising: a substantiallyhorizontal bottom wall having a left edge, a right edge, a front edgeand a rear edge; at least partial left and right side walls extendingsubstantially vertically upwardly from said left and right side edges,respectively, each of said side walls including a substantiallyhorizontally extending shoulder at the top thereof for supporting thebottom of a similarly constructed container stacked thereon, eachshoulder being formed from an additional portion of said sheet materialextending from the top of each side wall and folded inwardly and thendownwardly, the distal edge of said additional portion of said sheetmaterial being glued to the inner surface of its respective side wall ata position above said bottom wall; at least partial front and back wallsextending substantially vertically upwardly from said front and rearedges, respectively; left and right front corner columns, each cornercolumn being formed of a segment of said sheet material folded to form aside corner wall and a front corner wall, each side corner wallcoinciding essentially with its respective container side wall and thefront corner walls lying in essentially the same plane as said frontwall, each of said corner walls extending to said bottom wall.